Arrival in Piltover

Chapter 74 Arrival in Piltover

Just as Caitlin was about to get some rest, before she could even lift her head, she felt a strange gravity coming from the side.

"————Hmm?" Turning her head to look to the side, she saw Wei, who was still wearing bandages.

When Caitlin saw that Vi was actually there, a look of surprise appeared on her face.

Although Caitlyn already knew that Vi's physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, she had personally witnessed how devastating Tarin's blow was. Even the strongest person would be bedridden for ten days to two weeks after suffering such an injury.

Who would have thought that after only two days of sleeping, he would be able to get out of bed?

Just as Caitlin was about to ask a few questions, she heard Wei say with a face full of self-reproach, "—I'm sorry, all of this has come to this because of me—this incompetent guard."

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"—What are you talking about?"

Caitlin looked completely bewildered, then rubbed her temples and said, "If you could, could you explain why you said that? I just finished a meeting and I'm under a lot of stress; I really don't have time for cryptic talk—"

"Uh, a meeting?"

Upon hearing Caitlin's words, Wei was slightly taken aback, then asked with some suspicion, "Um, weren't you—forced to serve him?"

"—What are you saying?" Caitlin sighed and said, "I was just talking to Tallinn about Piltover—"

"But you look very tired." Hearing this, Wei scratched her head sheepishly and said, "I thought—"

"You're overthinking it." Caitlin shook her head, recalling her conversations with Tarlin over the past few days, and Tarlin's apparent familiarity with Zaun and Piltover despite his seemingly Ixtal origins. A serious look appeared in Caitlin's eyes.

"Ixtal's contact with Piltover was definitely not a spur-of-the-moment decision; their understanding of Piltover and even Zaun far exceeds my imagination —"

"Uh—should we get Piltover ready?" Vi asked, looking completely bewildered.

Upon hearing Vi's words, Caitlin shook her head helplessly and said, "While your intuition is very sharp in combat, in other areas you really are—unnecessary."

Caitlin stated succinctly, "We're already on Ixtal's chariot—and of course, I won't stop you if you want to leave."

Upon hearing this, Vi was slightly taken aback, then said with a bitter expression, "I—I don't know where I can find refuge—whether it's Piltover or Zaun."

Hearing Wei's answer, Caitlin nodded understandingly and said, "It's alright, then stay here for now."

As she said this, Caitlin paused, glanced back at the tent behind her, and then added, "Tallinn—his identity and background are very mysterious, I can't see through him."

But he does possess ambition far exceeding that of ordinary people, along with the insight and ability to match that ambition. If your dream is to change Zaun, you might want to ask him.

Seeing Caitlin speak up for Tarlin, Vi was slightly taken aback, then, somewhat surprised, asked, "You actually think so highly of that person?"

"At first, I did just think of him as a brute who only knew how to solve problems with violence, just like you." Caitlin's expression remained calm as she continued, "But after actually communicating with him, I discovered that his arrogance was based on a thorough understanding of Piltover and Zaun, and was not just baseless defiance."

As she said this, Caitlin recalled her conversation with Tarlin.

Recalling Tarlin's terrifying ability to read her thoughts without her knowledge, and his profound understanding of the ancient legends and rumors of Piltover, Caitlin couldn't help but purse her lips.

Unlike others, Caitlyn, as the head of the Jiramane family, and with her mother being the family's chief auditor in charge of Piltover's law enforcement and judicial powers, received a lot of education on negotiation and communication from a young age.

The goal is clear: to gradually break down the opponent's psychological defenses through language in any negotiation, thereby gaining the upper hand and taking control of the communication and negotiation.

However, when facing Tallinn, all of Caitlin's relevant education became ineffective, and her so-called negotiation skills proved extremely weak in the face of Tallinn's mind-reading ability.

In fact, Caitlin believed that even if Tarlin didn't possess the terrifying power of mind reading, he could still easily take control.

Ultimately, the ability to take the lead is based on intelligence. It involves gradually gathering information, using persuasive language to elicit all the data the other party possesses, and then using the facts you have to shatter their expectations and defenses.

And Tallinn? His knowledge of Piltover was even more detailed than Tallinn's.

This alone rendered Caitlin's negotiation skills useless. Things like gaining control were out of the question—forget about it!

Thinking this, Caitlin subconsciously wiped the white foam from the corner of her mouth.

"When you have the chance, talk to him yourself—then you'll understand the oppressive feeling of being controlled at every turn, built through language, intelligence, data, and rhetoric."

Wei tilted her head, indicating that she didn't quite understand—"This sounds like some kind of magic."

"Pheromone is still effective."

Inside the tent, recalling how Caitlin was completely controlled and lost all initiative in the conversation during the interrogation, Tallinn couldn't help but whistle.

In the attribute panel, the stats for "[Great Ferocious Jackal Dragon's Intimidation]" shine brightly, indicating that it is continuously taking effect.

Mild fear can accelerate the secretion of excitatory mediators, while moderate fear can affect the secretion of many hormones in the body, thereby directly affecting a person's mood and state.

Just like before, without any deliberate guidance, Caitlin naturally felt fear on her own.

The reason it took effect so quickly, according to Tarlin's speculation, is probably because after Caitlin chose to surrender, her psychological niche was lower than Tarlin's, and thus she was more amplified by Tarlin's information.

It can only be said that even a lower-level item like the hard head of the Crowned Dragon, when combined with a Continuity Jewel and used properly, can still exert amazing destructive power in certain special battlefields, easily taking on two opponents at once.

And similar to other median terms —

The intimidating power of the Great Ferocious Jackal Dragon has been well developed, so the scratching bird's hand cannot be left out.

He stretched out his palm, his slender fingers wriggling like five agile eels. Then, Tarin turned his gaze to Farin and Nidalee, who were tutoring Qiyana on the axioms of life.

Today, I'll show you what it means to have beans weeping in a pot.

While studying hard, Farin felt a chill down her spine, but when she turned around, she only saw Tarin gently raise his head and smile at her.

Some doubts remained, but Farin simply ignored them and continued learning the axioms of life. As she studied, she marveled at the profound depth and breadth of the principles of life.

A few days later, as the core enforcers of the Giramann family swiftly arrived in Piltover, news of the impending arrival of the Ixtal delegation swept through the conference room like a storm. "The Ixtal delegation has passed through Kumangra and is heading towards the Sun Gate. They are expected to arrive before sunset." "What?!"

Upon hearing this, Stevan, the patriarch of the Philos family, exclaimed in astonishment. His withered hands instinctively tightened their grip on his cane, his eyes filled with utter disbelief: "This is impossible! The Kumangu Mountains have complex terrain and dense jungles. The waterways along the Manghe Delta are also infested with pirates and bandits. Even our expeditionary teams took several days to make a difficult advance. How could a bunch of monkeys from the primeval jungle have crossed over so quickly?"

No wonder Stevan was so surprised and incredulous; the news was truly shocking.

According to Piltover's prediction, even with pioneering locomotives leading the way, it would take at least several weeks for a large group to cross the Kumangu Mountains and venture deeper into the jungle.

I'm not ready yet! Rematch! Rematch!

At first, some people were still incredulous, but after detailed questioning, the many trading nobles present quickly fell silent.

"They had already arrived at the Kumangu Mountains before Caitlin crossed them?"

Mel, the family representative of the Middarda family, looked suspicious and then said, "Is it possible that they had already made the necessary diplomatic preparations and therefore set off ahead of schedule?"

"It could also be magic," said Caitlin's mother, Cassandra Gilamann. "The Ixtals have lived in seclusion in the ancient rainforest behind the Kumangu Mountains for thousands of years. Such a magical civilization may have already established their own magical paths throughout the jungle."

"Who knows?" Upon hearing this, a fat man with a protruding belly, dressed in gold and silver, looking exceptionally ostentatious like a nouveau riche, leaned back in his chair and panted heavily, saying, "When the vote was taken, the Gilaman family believed that they shouldn't antagonize Ixtal. Now, we sent you to gather intelligence, and this is what happened—"

"Hmm—maybe someone is secretly letting the Ixtals through? Deliberately guiding them through Kumangu to achieve their own goals."

Upon hearing the man's words, a cold glint flashed in Cassandra's eyes.

The man, however, paid no attention to the fact that he came from the Tarrios family, which controlled more than half of Piltover's maritime trade and shipping routes.

In a trading city like Piltover, a tycoon like Kaden Tarrios, who controlled the flow of the city's wealth, was completely unafraid of the threat posed by the Giraman family.

Alternatively, Kaden could use its financial resources and the millions of canal workers who depend on the Sungate Canal locks for their livelihood to counter Giramanen's difficulties with judicial and law enforcement powers.

Due to some family history, Kaden is also Kassandra's old rival in the council.

As Kaden spoke, the discussions among the other trading nobles grew increasingly heated, and Ziguang's suspicions became more and more apparent.

Countless eyes fell on Cassandra. Some whispered among themselves, while others wore expressions of displeasure.

After all, Piltover's trading nobles have always been tied to their interests. If the Jiramane family were to secretly collude with Ixtal, it would harm the interests of all the nobles.

But at that moment, Mel said, "I think it's better not to wrong Lady Cassandra. After all, her daughter was the one who carried out this mission, and she hired a group of Shurima mercenaries for it, which cost a lot of money."

As he spoke, Mel looked around and said, "Now is not the time to assign blame. The Ixtal delegation is about to arrive, and their purpose is still unclear. We must be fully prepared and not let Piltover suffer any loss of face or interests."

Upon hearing this, the nobles exchanged glances, then composed themselves, and even Kaden, standing to the side, said nothing more.

Compared to his indifference towards the Giramanen family, the Noxian trade license from the Middarda family was Kaden's lifeline, and he couldn't afford to offend it easily.

Thinking this, Kaden, with his large stomach bulging out, said loudly, "That's right! The Ixtals are up to no good! Just like Councilor Mel said, we must show the spirit of Piltover and not let them look down on us!"

"That's right!" another trading noble chimed in. "Quickly! Arrange for the city gates and main streets to be cleaned and decorated with the most magnificent velvet fabric. Display all the Hextech technology to showcase Piltover's wealth and power!"

"And the etiquette officer, immediately draft the welcoming ceremony procedures so that those primitive people can truly experience the civilization of this progressive city!"

Seeing everyone's reaction, Cassandra frowned slightly and sighed inwardly.

Was it because of the Noxian army's great victory on the northern coast of Shurima? The Middarda family, originally from Noxus, also prospered as a result.

Just as she was thinking this, Cassandra looked up and saw that Mel was looking at her.

"Lady Cassandra, don't forget to have the guards reinforce the city gates and secretly deploy troops in case the Ixtals make any unusual moves."

"————Of course." Cassandra nodded silently.

Amidst the turmoil within Piltover, at four o'clock in the afternoon, Tallinn and his group arrived at the Sun Gate Bridge under the watchful eyes of countless people.

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